Morning journal and courier., 1887-07-02
THE ECONOMTCAL TOURIST.
Points as to Crossing the Continent for
Ten Dollars.

Points as to Crossing the Continent for
Ten Dollars.
One class of people who have not been af-
fected in any way by the withdrawal of
special transportation rates has been diseov-
cred, says the st. Louis Globe, and while it
is true that this class have not yet appealed
to Congress to legislate in their behalf, nor
have the railroads made any special effort to
secure their patronage, yet it is nevertheless
a fact that they constitute by no means in
considerable portion of the travelling public.
Tourists of the kind referred to buy neither
frst-class, second class nor emigrant tickets,
but travel on what is known as ''short fare"
and are content with the travelling comforts
afforded by freight and cattle trains. They
are usually spoken of as tramps, but do not
properly belong to that species of genus
homo, for they are generally hard working
men, who never beg and are seldom dishon-
est. They pay their fares too, but their
money never finds its way into the Golfers of
monopolizing railway corporations. They
contribute nothing to the support of the
over-worked and down-trodden railroad off,
cials, but their fares go to enrich the festive
'tBrakey," who is at once conductor, general
manager and treasurer of his own particular
train. A dust-covered traveller belonging to
this particular class, who had just reached
this city after a pleasant trip ACROSS the con-
tinent from Frisco, disclosed to a reporter a
few leading features of this peculiar method
of travel, which it must be admitted pos
sesses some advantages over the other sys-
TENS which are in more general use. The
traveller stated that he was a printer by
trade, and until short time ago held cases
on leading San Francisco paper, but wish
ing to make journey East in company with
several friends, he concluded to do SO on the
most economical plan. Said he:
4o %ho
for about ten dollars, all you've got to do is
to jump a freight when she pulls out and
square yourself with the brakey, and then
you're fixed"
'sBut is it not against the rules OF railroad
companies to allow anyone to ride on
freightsa' asked the reporter.
ooh, you amt on to the racket" was the
rather disdainful reply. "You see you
watch your chances as the freight pulls out
of the yard and jump on somewhere close to
the front brakey. The scon' is back in the
caboose and he won't see you, so when the
brakey comes around all you've got to do is
to square yourself with him"
Chow do you do that:"
"Why, every freight train goes out carry
ing empties, and the brakey knows which
they are. If you give up little stuff he
will put you away in one of the empties, and
keep you out of sight of the con- till you
get to the end of his rum
low uucu uOeS the Drakoy charges
"All he can get. IT you understand the
business it won't cost you much. When we
were leaving Frisco six of us jumped lum-
ber car just as the train was pulling out of
the Oakland yard. When the brakey came
around and saw us he said, where you fell
lers goin'P One of the boys says, We're
goin' on this train He says, We'll, don't
know whether you are or not. Got any
money! We all said no, but he knew bet.
ter, and then he agreed to take us to the end
of his run if each one Clipped in fifty cents
After he got his money he showed US where
to find an empty car, and we crawled in
closed the door and slept until we got to the
| end of the division"
"What did you do then."
eve waited until the freight on the mex
| division was made up and went out on it
You know they change crews at the end Of
| each division, so we had to pay the mex
| brakey the same as we did the first. w,
kept up that lick until we got here"
Chow long were you on the road2"
"oh, we made the trip in about ten days